Vivian was born on November 20, 1967. She was an only child. Her mother worked hard to raise her since they were poor. But this did not stop Vivian from being nice and caring to others. Although she first made her appearance in entertainment in the "new singers competition" (sun sow gor cheng bay choi) , she used to sing at an orphanage to cheer up the children there. Her mother also cared for Vivian very dearly. Vivian recalls one time when her mother saved money to buy her a small piano because her mother knew she wanted one very much. Now, Vivian has a big piano at home, but she still considers the day she got the piano from her mother as one of her happiest moments.

Vivian Chow began her music and acting career, Vivian was a DJ at RTHK (a Hong Kong radio station). Her sweet voice captured the hearts of everyone on the airwaves which eventually placed her in second place in the DJ competition. Later, she took up acting and starred in her first role in the movie, "Sam yun sai guy" (Three People's World). She was immediately noticed and gained popularity. She then also decided to pursue singing career since she always loved singing. Actually Vivian says that she prefers singing over acting. Her first song, "toi ha nuh jew kwok" (with SanCity), was an immediate hit. Due to the huge workload, she then decided to quit her DJ job and pursue solely on her singing and acting careers.

Several albums later, Vivian changed companies and signed with Polygram. This move further increased her popularity. As more of her albums came out, her singing ability also improved as well. Her sweet voice was irresistible, which captured the hearts of all who listened to her songs. She soon became the most popular female star in Hong Kong and also became one of the top five female singers in Hong Kong as well. Vivian's singing is also the only one that has a true feeling of emotion in her songs. When she sings, you can feel the emotion coming out of your heart; you have a sense that you are with her at that

moment and can feel her emotions as well. In 1993, Vivian entered the Taiwan market with her Mandarin CD called "Rumors". This album was an immediate success and with one CD, Vivian now had a firm standing in Taiwan's market. This can be credited to Vivian's talents. In only a brief time, she had managed not only to learn Mandarin, but to be successful immediately and gain instant acceptance in Taiwan. She began to make many appearances on Taiwan shows and special events. Even when a brand new mall was finished, the owners invited Vivian to come make an appearance for the grand opening. Thousands of people went to the grand opening just so that they might be able to see her.

In addition to being pretty and sweet, she has many other talents as well. She can sing in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, and English too. Her acting is also very good and natural. She can mimic other people's signature very well. She is a very good piano player who has earned a level 7 grade. Her makeup skills are very good since she has done her own makeup in several of her albums. Finally, Vivian has also composed several songs and have written lyrics for one song as well. This shows a sample of Vivian's accomplishments that were earned from her hard work and determination.

Vivian's presence also helped establish a new type of merchandising. Working in conjunction with Yes!, the first Yes! card came out with the picture of none other than Vivian. Using the beautiful Vivian to promote Yes! cards, they soon became very popular and other stars began to also appear in them. Soon other companies began to make cards of Hong Kong stars. This opened up the market for new ideas. Posters, photos, shirts, rulers, etc. of stars began to arrive in the market as well, all using Vivian's picture to promote them first. Even today, no individual star has as much "idol merchandise" on the market as Vivian. She is clearly the dominant leader. Even so, Vivian again broke new ground with her book in 1992 called "Dreams". This book contained many beautiful pictures of Vivian. Soon after, other stars also followed her lead and produced books as well. So as can be seen, Vivian's presence created a new area for the entertainment industry that was previously unexplored.

Although Vivian is very popular, she has not changed at all. She is still nice to everyone and works hard. She does not take her fame for granted unlike other stars. Everyone who has worked with her has nothing but praise about her character and personality when asked by the media. Vivian also has a very unique quality. Most stars have an image that changes with time to attract fans and to be more innovative. Vivian does not use these tactics. Vivian always just be herself and let her performance be the judge rather than an image. So through all these years, she has stayed the same. Why? This is because Vivian does not have an "fake" image. She is really the innocent, beautiful girl shat we see and hear about.. Another quality I admire about her is her principles. She is one of the few stars that truly worked honestly to get to the top. Also she never compromises her principles so that she can get ahead. For example, Vivian detests short, skimpy clothes and small bathing suits. She actually thinks they are ugly. That really shows her strong character. She wears what she is comfortable with and nothing less. She wants to be appreciated for her talents, not for her physical appearance.

Written By: Alan H. T. Luk
September 1995